There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs at the end of last season.
After only winning six times post-Olympics and after losing their final four straight to miss the playoffs, players and fans sensed changes were on the way.
Wednesday on Brady and Walker on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul was asked whether he was surprised that goaltender James Reimer was still his teammate after the way the season ended in April.
“If you were to talk to me right after the year last year I would have been, in my mind… it would have been 50/50 whether I would have been back,” Lupul said.
“Everyone, kind of, with how it ended, it just felt like we were all so disappointed and upset with the way it ended and you didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Listen now: Lupul’s full interview.
The Maple Leafs made a variety of different moves in the summer including hiring of Brendan Shanahan as the team’s new president.
Lupul, who will be entering his fifth season in a Leafs uniform, said the transition to having Shanahan with the club has been a good one.
“Anytime you bring in someone with that resume, and not only the hockey aspect obviously with his success, but also someone who has worked for the league in high up positions like that, I think it’s a great thing for us,” he said.
“He’s come in and been very approachable with the guys and communicated with us and obviously he’s not afraid to make decisions as we’ve seen with players on our team and the front office.”
The Maple Leafs begin their training camp on Thursday with team medicals and play their first preseason game on Sept. 22 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
